SATURDAY'S SCORES
@Morehead State 8, SIUE 4
@Murray State 6, Tennessee State 0
@Murray State 8, Tennessee State 0
@UT Martin 5, Eastern Illinois 2
Belmont 14, @Tennessee Tech 5
@Austin Peay 3, Southeast Missouri 1
@Austin Peay 3, Southeast Missouri 0
MOREHEAD STATE 8, SIUE 4
MOREHEAD, Ky. - Lauren Yslava finished with three RBIs, including a two-run homer, but the Cougars dropped the final contest of the three-game road series at Morehead State 8-4.
Yslava, a freshman from Gilroy, Calif., singled home a run in the fourth inning and added a two-run homer in the sixth. It was her fifth home run of the season, which is second on the team.
The Cougars had seven hits in Saturday's series finale. Grace Lueke provided the game's other RBI for the Cougars.
Lexi King, who joined Yslava with two hits, started and took the loss in the circle. She is now 4-4 after allowing seven hits and walking just one.
Lennon Spicer picked up the win for Morehead State. Peyton Jordan paced the offense with three RBIs.
MURRAY STATE 6, TENNESSEE STATE 0; MURRAY STATE 8, TENNESSEE STATE 0
MURRAY, Ky. - The Murray State softball team completed the series sweep of Tennessee State Saturday with two wins over the Tigers at Racer Field In Murray Kentucky. The Racers won game one, 6-0, and game two, 8-0 in six innings.
The Racers put together their third series sweep of the season with the combined wins on Friday and Saturday. Murray State finished the series by outscoring Tennessee State 22-0 over three games.
James had a history-making game in the opener breaking both the Murray State single-season and career record for strikeouts to finish the day with 168 strikeouts on the year and 496 for her career. The previous single-season record of 158, was set by James herself last season, while the previous career record of 490 was set by CheyAnne Gaskey, from 2012 to 2015.
In addition to the single-season and career records, James also tied the MSU single-game strikeout record Saturday by fanning 15 in the first game of the doubleheader. The only other MSU pitcher to strike out 14 batters in a single game was Gaskey, who did so against Saint Louis in 2013.
The Racers pounded out four home runs on Saturday with Logan Braundmeier and Yanna Marrow going yard in game one and Lindsey Carroll and Gracie Osbron doing so in game two. The home run for Marrow was her first hit as a Murray State Racer.
The win for the Racers was their 14th consecutive at home, setting a new program and Racer Field record. The victory was also the 30th of the season for MSU, marking the fifth in the 13-year history of the program that the Racers have reached the milestone and the first since 2017.
UT MARTIN 5, EASTERN ILLINOIS 2
MARTIN, Tenn. - The University of Tennessee at Martin softball team put the finishing touches on a series sweep of visiting Ohio Valley Conference foe Eastern Illinois on Saturday afternoon as the squad jumped out to an early advantage and never looked back on the way to a 5-2 victory.
The Skyhawks (25-12, 10-4 OVC) picked up their sixth straight win behind a balanced hitting approach at the plate and strong pitching performances from three individuals. After exploding for 21 combined runs in yesterday’s doubleheader, UT Martin continued their strong weekend by scratching out eight hits on the afternoon and drawing three walks to set up the squad’s five RBIs.
Junior Shyanne Sheffield picked up where she left off after a stellar performance on Friday and added two more hits to her weekend total while driving in a pair of runs. For the series, Sheffield feasted on the Panthers by posting a .700 (7-of-10) batting average while tallying three runs scored, two doubles, a home run and 10 RBIs. Sophomore Kaci Fuller also enjoyed a nice weekend as she brought her series total up to five hits after going 2-for-4 in the contest – including a solo home run in the top of the first inning.
Three different pitchers played a critical role in today’s series finale. While the entire staff was under a batter limit, Erin Gallagher (9-2) earned the start and picked up the win after pitching impressively in three innings where she struck out three and allowed one earned run. Katie Dreiling pitched the middle innings in relief and did so formidably, allowing one run over 3.1 innings of work. Then in the top of the seventh with the Panthers sniffing a rally, Alexis Groet earned her first save of the season after inducing a game-ending double play.
Today’s action followed a similar script as both games yesterday. UT Martin jumped on the board first with two runs in the opening inning as Fuller power slapped an opposite field solo shot over the left field corner on the first pitch she saw before Sheffield left her mark on the Panthers once again with an RBI double to give the Skyhawks a quick 2-0 advantage.
The scoring continued for both teams in the third inning as Eastern Illinois got on the board via a solo home run by Macey McElravy to left center to cut the margin in half.
UT Martin quickly responded in the bottom half of the inning by getting that run back and then some. Fuller led off the inning with a single up the middle before a walk by Dreiling put runners on first and second with one out. In stepped Sheffield to the plate on the following at-bat who then laced a two-strike single through the left side to bring Fuller around to score. With the margin back to two runs, the Skyhawks later found themselves with runners on second and third before Kallie Pickens singled to left center to clear the bags and bring the contest to a 5-1 score.
The margin remained the same until the top of the seventh inning when the Panthers attempted one final comeback attempt as the visitor’s starting pitcher Rachel Kaufman hit a solo home run to left field to cut the deficit to three runs. After a hit by pitch forced a pitching change for the Skyhawks, Groet entered the contest with a save opportunity and clinched the series with a 6-4-3 double play to end the game.
BELMONT 14, TENNESSEE TECH 5
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. -Sydney Love-Baker had a four-RBI game for the Tennessee Tech softball team on Saturday, but the Belmont squad completed the three-game sweep with a 14-5 run-rule victory.
Tech fell to 26-14, 9-8 in the Ohio Valley Conference, while Belmont improved to 22-11, 13-4 in the league. The Golden Eagles return to action on Tuesday as they travel to Chattanooga for a 4:30 p.m.
Belmont’s offense picked right up where it left off from Friday’s doubleheader, collecting 14 runs on 11 hits – including eight runs in the second inning to chase off starter Alyssa Arden. The Tech ace was tagged for eight runs on four hits in an inning and a third, walking five Bruins batters and striking out two to see her season record fall to 13-9.
Tyler Erwin pitched the remaining 3 2/3 innings, allowing six runs – five earned – on seven hits, walking four and striking out one.
Emma Barnes and Kaley Varner each led Belmont with 2-for-3 efforts at the plate, both driving in three runs.
Emma Summers claimed her ninth victory of the season, allowing five runs – just two earned – on five hits, walking two and striking out four.
The Bruins scored two runs in the top of the first as Green drove in Cheyenne Cavanaugh with a single to left, then Green came home on an Abi Ledbetter single up the middle. Tech tied the game in the home half of the frame as a throwing error trying to get Haeli Bryson allowed Mackenzie Fitzgerald to score, then Carmen Betts came home on Love-Baker’s bunt single back to the circle.
Following two walks, Cavanaugh doubled in Audrey Lyle and put runners on second and third. A sacrifice fly drove in Baie Ensio, Alicia Veltri walked, then Ledbetter reached on a fielder’s choice back to Arden as the Tech hurler held Cavanaugh at third, loading the bases.
Emma Barnes hit a single to center field and advanced to second as Tech tried to get the runners, but it gave Cavanaugh and pinch runner Savannah Halterman enough room to score.
Following the pitching switch to Erwin, a sacrifice fly for Emily Cockrill, a Kaley Varner double and a two-run home run for Lyle added four more runs to make it a 10-2 lead midway through the second.
Belmont added four more tallies in the top of the fifth as Barnes and Gabrielle Givers had RBI singles, then Varner drove in two more with a double to left.
Tech got back on the scoreboard in the bottom of the fifth as Betts and Bryson came home on Love-Baker’s three-run home run. However, the Bruins were able to get out of the inning with no further damage, enacting the run rule for the second straight game.
AUSTIN PEAY 3, SOUTHEAST MISSOURI 1; AUSTIN PEAY 3, SOUTHEAST MISSOURI 0
CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. - Austin Peay State University pitching limited Southeast Missouri to one run on 10 hits during their doubleheader, Sunday afternoon at Cathi Maynard Park-Cheryl Holt Field, as the Governors softball team swept the Ohio Valley Conference twin bill versus the Redhawks by finals of 3-1 and 3-0.
In Game 1, Austin Peay (21-20, 8-9 OVC) started quickly against the Redhawks (21-17, 10-5 OVC) with Megan Hodum opening the first inning with a single and scoring two pitches later on a double down the right field line by Bailey Shorter.
After a walk to Lexi Osowski, followed by two fielder’s choices, Osowski scored on a single by Kendyl Weinzapfel, making it 2-0 after one inning.
That turned out to be all the runs that Govs starter Jordan Benefiel (10-7) would need, as the sophomore right-hander limited SEMO to one run on five hits, while walking two and striking out six.
Austin Peay would add its final run of the game in the fourth, coming on Mea Clarks’ seventh home run of the season to lead off the inning.
The Redhawks would break up the shutout in the sixth with a solo home run by Kaylee Anderson.
In Game 2, for the third straight game in the series the Govs put runs on the board in the first inning, with Hodum and Osowski drawing walks around a single by Shorter to load the bases, with no outs.
That brought up Brooke Pfefferle, who hit an opposite-field liner down the left field line for a double, scoring Hodum and Shorter, to make it 2-0.
And much like the first game, those two runs were all the scoring the Govs would need, as starter Harley Mullins (6-5) shutout SEMO on five hits, aided by two Austin Peay double plays along the way.
Austin Peay added one final run in the third, coming on Osowski’s team-leading 11th home run of the season.